


Touch the Stars, Princess.

by Opalgirl



Category: Pierce - Tortall
Genre: Community: 31_days, Family, Gen, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-11
Updated: 2010-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-08 21:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/79576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opalgirl/pseuds/Opalgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon takes his eldest three children to the top of  Balor's Needle for the view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Touch the Stars, Princess.

**Author's Note:**

> Based partially on a line of Jon's, said to Kel in _Page_, re: Balor's Needle: "You couldn't get the Queen up here for love or money."

"Papa, it's _beautiful_," Kalasin breathed, her face tilted upwards towards the sky, her long hair tumbling down her back.

Roald leaned over the rail, interested more in the view of the land before them than the stars above. "You can see for miles," his son added, sounding as awed as his sister. "Without a spyglass, even."

The wind tugged at their clothes and hair and Jon gripped onto a bit of Roald's tunic, lest he lean too far over the railing. He wasn't sure who, but someone had told the children about the view from the top of the Needle and when the nursery staff refused to take them up to the top, he had promised he would. Things had interfered, as they always did, but he finally had brought them here.

Liam, the third of his children who'd wanted to see the view, clutched at his hand, plainly scared and Jon patted his back gently in reassurance.

"Liam, come here," Kally said, turning back to them. "It's all right." She smiled winningly and beckoned.

His older sister's words seemingly gave Liam enough confidence to let go of his hand and walk the few steps across the platform. Kally grinned and hooked her brother's arm securely through her own when he reached her.

"See? It's fine, isn't it?"

Liam nodded reluctantly and Roald drew his brother's attention, pointing at the view; the forest to one side, the city and the banks of the Olorun to the other. "Don't look down," Roald advised and Liam swung at him good-naturedly.

Kally leaned further out over the rail – why did they have to do that? – and resumed looking at the stars. "It's like you could _touch_ them," she murmured, enthralled. "Has Mama seen this?"

"Mama doesn't like heights like this, Kally," Roald answered, before Jon could speak.

The princess looked mildly confused and shook her head. "I don't see why not – it's beautiful."

Of course – she was too young to know why Thayet had an aversion to towers of substantial height; no one would have told an eight-year-old the story of her maternal grandmother's suicide. "She doesn't," Jon said, standing squarely behind Liam, a hand on Roald's shoulder. "Come along, before she begins to worry."


End file.
